Luis Suarez is being linked with a move to Real Madrid, who appear to be doing their utmost to sign every top player thay can, now that rivals Barcelona have secured the services of Neymar. Suarez, who has a less than savoury reputation in England is now talking about “a change of environment” and is understood to be asking for almost $300,000 per week in wages! This one could be a very realistic proposition, however I struggle to see where the Madristas are going to play him.

Suarez’s Uruguay are in action on Thursday against France, where he might be lining up against arch nemesis Patrice Evra again. Uruguay are $2.25 whilst France are $3.00. A draw is an attractive $3.30 and is where our money is going.

The future of Wayne Rooney is also less than clear, gossip seems to link him to a big money move to PSG, however, the installation of David Moyes as the new Manchester United manager might chnage that. Certainly within United circles the club seems to be trying hard to keep Rooney, whereas the fans seem to want him to leave. We think Rooney will still be a United player come the start of next season.

Rooney is likely to be in action in the new Maracana, as Brazil take on England on Monday morning. Brazil are priced at a very short $1.57 with England available at odds of $5.50. England don’t look like they have much idea recently and the 1-1 draw against Ireland was an example of the insipid performamces they have put in recently. There is no value backing Brazil outright, but backing Brazil half time and Brazil full time is a decent $2.40 bet.

Back in Madrid, President Florentino Perez has slapped a €1billion price tag on the head of forward Cristiano Ronaldo, however we have heard posturing like this before from Perez, so Ronaldo to Manchester United or PSG is still an outside possibility a far as we are concerned.

Portugal take on Russia on Saturday, and are heavy favourites at $1.91, we quite like the Russian team and will be betting on them at $3.80.

Finally Australia travel to Japan for a soccer game on Tuesday, and it shows how far Japan’s star (or sun) has risen in world football (or how far the Aussies have fallen) than Japan are no better than $1.83 with Australia a big $4.00. Sad as I am, I cannot see the Aussies pulling of a victory in this one.

Arsene Wenger, who is French, has revealed that he would be happy to be
an ambassador for the English bid to be the country to host the World
Cup, and he thinks it is unfair that Germany has hosted it twice.

At his Friday press conference, Wenger told the press corps: “I am a big
supporter of the England bid for the World Cup in 2018. If I can help
them, I would be very happy.”

This is all well and good, but Wenger then went on to talk about how
England gave the game of football to the world, and it is for this
reason that the country should be allowed to hold the World Cup. He even
said that it is not ‘normal’ for a country that gave this sport to be
denied hosting the Cup.

However, I think he is forgetting one thing. England may have given the
sport to the world, but, and if you will forgive my expression here, the
rest of the world have picked up the ball and ran with it.

England has had some decent shots at glory in the last ten years, but
every time they have somehow managed to fudge it. And while the country
– as Arsene Wenger quite rightly pointed out – may have ‘the
infrastructure, the stadiums, the passion’ to manage a world class
tournament, it still won’t win it.

As such on the field the side are also deceptive – their odds of 8.40
third favourites for next year’s tournament are odd, given that the
Netherlands qualified in similarly impressive style but are out at 17.00.

In my opinion, England are yet to prove that they are part of the world
stage and can justify hosting it. Causing such a fuss over whether or
not they can host it is rather like crying because the bigger, stronger
boys aren’t coming round to your house to play.